I recently asked how bad BLO smells because I thought I may be finishing a piece with it in a not so well ventilated basement.

I got a lot of responses, which varied, and I would be interested to see what everyone’s opinion is across a variety of finishes and not just BLO, seeing that I haven’t had much experience with any.

So, Tung Oil? BLO? Water based finished? Oil based? What smells, what doesn’t? What cannot you ABSOLUTELY NOT finish indoors? What’s most sensitive (to temperature? light? ventilation? other stuff?) and least sensitive?And anything else you can think of- I’m just looking for some insight into all these different options.

Furthermore, consider it being applied to walnut.

EDIT: What is most resilient? Think of it being applied to a coffee table that will be used by adults.

Consider water base finishes the have a lot less odor. Many of the older finishes like Blo and tung oil can take a lot longer to dry than more modern finishes ,keeping the smell around for a long time.

I really only use a few finishes; zinsser sealcoat (dewaxed shellac) and crystalac I spray indoors with a boxfan and filter in the window sucking out the exhaust. Can’t even smell the finish during use.